Promise?
by outerelf
Summary: Youngling Firestar has a nightmare, and only Red Alert is there.


This is a request fic of Firestar having a nightmare, and Red Alert being the only one to comfort her. It takes place within my 'Before the War' story, but you don't have to of read it in order for this to make sense. It's just fluffy goodness, and I reexplained it all.

SsSsSsSsSsSsSsS

Red Alert shivered in the cold, freezing air as he walked towards his and Infernos shared rooms. _I hope Firestar is in recharge right now._ Red Alert thought, still on the alert for anything that might hurtle out at him from the shadows. _Inferno knows how hard she is to wake up for youngling school when she doesn't get enough rest._

Red Alert stilled for a moment as a distant sound caught his attention. His optics switched to scanners, and he stood, frozen in the perfect balance between flight or fight. Nobody paid any attention to him, and at last he uneasily shrugged it off, figuring that it was just simply his imagination. Then, there was a crack, and Red Alert cursed, fleeing towards the house he and Inferno shared. _It's going to rain, slag, I gotta get into cover-_

The acid rain slowly began to pour down as Red Alert hurtled towards home, and Red Alert winced at the thought of what the acid was going to do to his paintjob- _Safe_. Red Alert leaned against the doorway of the apartment building.

For a few moments he simply stood there, listening to the rain pelt down, and the thunder boom in the distance. At last he forced his feet to walk up the steps, towards the second floor where Inferno and Firestar should be waiting.

0o0o0o0o0

Red Alert paused in the living room, optics scanning the area quickly. He frowned as he realized that he couldn't sense Inferno at all in the apartment, and he carefully moved to Firestars door.

Firestar lay curled in her recharge booth, optics offline, and clearly recharging. Red Alert stared at her for a few moments, before allowing the door to slide shut once more. He searched the house, scouring for a trace of Inferno. At last he headed into the kitchen, even though he could instantly tell Inferno wasn't in the room-

A datapad lay on the table, and Red Alert eagerly snatched it up, looking at it. _Red, I'm off to the store for some extra energon. If you get back before I do, make sure Firestars still asleep, alright?_

It was unsigned, but only one mech could produce that odd, scrawling, yet jumpy handwriting. Red Alert sighed as he put down the pad. Inferno wouldn't be coming back to the house any time soon. Acid rain, if heavy enough, could melt a mech through to its wirings, and only the really _rich_ mechs could afford covering to protect against even the slight rain. All other mechs were forced to seek shelter wherever they may be,

_At least he's in a store probably. Maybe I should check up on him-_ Red Alerts hand was about to rise to connect to his comm. link, before he realized that with the rain it would be out. Instead he switched to his pager.

: _Inferno, are you out of the rain?_:

: _Yep, I am. Firestar in bed?_:

: _Yes, she is. I expect you back by the end of the rainfall._:

: _I'll be there._:

Red Alert sighed as he looked away from the pager, and then he hesitated, looking around. The house was uncommonly silent. He hadn't come home to such silence ever since he had first been forced to bunk with Inferno as his own house burnt down.

Red Alert moved into his special workroom, and was about to get started on a datapad, when a sudden scream made his spark freeze in its case.

Before his CPU was fully registering what was going on, he was in front of Firestars room and throwing open the door. Firestar lay huddled on her berth, shaking and sobbing. She looked up as Red Alert entered, and the light flickered on to a tear-streaked face.

"Firestar-" Red Alert began, but she hurtled herself at him, latching onto his leg, and burying her face into it.

Red Alert crouched down, and contemplated on what to do. _Inferno is much, much better at this ten me, what am I supposed to do?_ His CPU wailed, at a complete loss at what to do with the sobbing youngling.

"Firestar? What's the matter?" Red Alert asked, and she turned a tear-streaked face to him.

"D-Dead! They were all dead!" She sobbed, clinging onto his leg.

Sadness flashed in Red Alerts optics, as he considered what to do next. Inferno didn't actually create Firestar, he had saved her from death, but her creators had died and he had decided to look after the small sparkling. But, it looked as if Firestar remembered her creators death despite it all.

Red Alert hesitated at the physical contact, and then gathered Firestar in his arms. She left off clinging to his leg to bury her face in his chest, and her small body shook from the force of muting the desperate, wracking sobs. Red Alert held her awkwardly, and then slowly he began running a finger down her helm, over and over, a gesture that he had seen many creators do to their younglings.

Firestars soft sobbing slowly faded under the hypnotic, calming movement. Red Alert, encourage, began to slowly ease out of the room and into the living room. She'd feel safer there, where it was big, open, and she could see anything trying to creep up on her.

Red Alert sat down in a chair, wincing as Firestar tightened her grip on him. For a few moments he wondered what to say, before Firestar spoke, sniffling. "You were there too."

Red Alerts finger didn't pause in its movement, though he was well beyond shocked. "Oh, really?"

"Mmmhmmm. You were in the building, and fire was raining on you and you didn't move! No matter how much I screamed, you didn't move!" Firestar glared up at him. "Why wouldn't you move?"

"It was just a dream Firestar." Red Alert soothed. "You know I would move."

Firestar nodded slowly, her optics trusting what Red Alert told her. Red Alert winced mentally at the trust, but she jumped as a crack of thunder could be heard in the distance. Red Alert smiled, holding her close. "And the rest of the dream?" He prompted gently. He had heard somewhere that talking about ones nightmares would help.

Firestar said slowly, "It was a big house. You, momma, pappa were talking, and then fire began to spring up, killing mamma and pappa again, but you didn't move. You wouldn't come no matter how hard I screamed! Inferno just watched too-"

Red Alert winced as Firestar renewed her snifling, but he said softly, "I have bad dreams too you know."

"Really? I thought adults don't get no bad dreams!" Firestar said, voacalizer still wobbly, and optics still teary, but they were now bright from interest.

Red Alert shook his head. "Even I get nightmares."

"Is that why you whisper at nighttimes?" Firestar asked innocently.

Red Aler felt as if his sapark had stopped beating. "Yes, Firestar. That's why."

"Where's 'Ferno?" She demanded suddenly, her CPU snapping towards the missing presence of her guardian.

"He's out getting energon Firestar." Red Alert said softly, "He'll be back soon."

Firestar whimpered as another loud crack filled the air. Red Alert continued rubbing her helm, and slowly she stilled again. Red Alert decided to move conversation to different things. "Firestar, what do you want to be when you're big?"

"Rescuer!" Firestar said, grip slowly beginning to loosen up on Red Alert. "Me 'n' 'Ferno go together."

"That's good to hear." Red Alert said, grinning. _Inferno would be thrilled to hear this._

Firestar nodded, and quaked as yet another crack of thunder filled the air. Red Alert didn't pause his rubbing, and softly he scolded, "Now, now, you know I won't let anyone to touch you, right?"

Firestar looked up at him, and snuggled closer. "Promise?"

"Promise." Red Alert said softly, optics and tone grave and serious. "I promise you, that so long as I'm onlined, I will do whatever is needed to take care of you."

Firestar smiled, and together they sat in silence.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Inferno hurriedly opened the door, expecting to find Red Alert still up and working on his reports. Instead, to his utmost surprise, he found Firestar curled up in Red Alerts lap, both recharging soundly.

With a quiet chuckle he let the door slide close, and he moved forward, gently scooping Firestar off of Red Alerts lap. Red Alert twitched at that, clawing his way up out of recharge to see who had Firestar. "Oh, just you 'Ferno." Red Alert murmured sleepily.

Then, without further ado, Red Alert dropped into an even deeper recharge. Inferno stared down at the recharging security director, optics tracing over the sleek, smooth lines- With a quick shake of his head, Inferno spun away, thinking furiously. _Red's a guest to the house. His home burnt down, I'm letting him stay here until he can find a new one, and the doctors say its ok for him to be alone, and then he'll leave._

Inferno smiled softly as Firestar twitched in his arms, and she raised her head sleepily. "Back?"

"Yep, I'm back 'Star." Inferno said softly, fingers tickling her stomach lightly. "Whatever were you doing in Red Alerts lap?"

"Nightmare." Firestar whispered, "Promised… protect…." Firestar yawned, snuggling into Infernos arms

"So, you like him?" Inferno asked playfully. He hadn't seen Firestar take to someone as fast as she had to Red Alert since her creators died.

"Like." Firestar confirmed. "You?"

"I like him Firestar." Inferno confirmed, smile bittersweet. "I do wish he'd stay though."

Firestar said nothing, seeming to slip back into a deep recharge as Inferno settled her down into the berth. Inferno turned his back for a moment to drag out a heating blanket, but when he turned back towards her once more, she was gone.

Sighing slightly, _Primus, how am I supposed to take care of this kid?_ He moved off through the house, looking for her. He found her right in the spot where he had gotten her from originally. Red Alerts lap.

Firestar snuggled in deeper, and automatically Red Alert curled an arm around her. Inferno stared at the two for a moment longer, and then shook his head, giving up. Silently he spread the blanket over both, and left them to dream.

SsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSs

Well, whoever asked for this, I hope you liked! I tried to keep it nice and fluffy- Though I couldn't resist adding in the last part.


End file.
